In the present day, computer systems that were once considered “stand alone” are evolving toward common interconnectivity. At one time, the various computers in an office were all operated individually. Today, the normal business utilizes a network, e.g., a local area network and/or a wide area network, to inter-connect the computers within the enterprise to facilitate work flow among the people who work in the enterprise. Once computerized systems in an office are networked together, it may then become necessary and appropriate to develop tools and methodologies for sharing common resources and for exchanging work files and data, even between modes of communication that were once considered quite distinct.
An example of the once distinct technology now being connected to the modern network and computerized work environment is the technology of facsimile document transmission. Originally, facsimile machines were individual devices which were capable of transmitting what is, in effect, a bit mapped version of a document through defined protocols over a telephone connection to a remote dedicated facsimile device which was capable of reproducing the bit map pattern on paper at the remote station. While stand-alone facsimile devices certainly still exist, it has become common to incorporate a facsimile transmission and reception function into computers and computer networks having other diverse and integrated functions.
It is typical for a facsimile transmission (fax) to be routed to a destination based on the telephone number dialed by the transmitting facsimile device. For instance, advanced systems route faxes based on the Direct Inward Dial (DID) number. Many times the desired recipient of the facsimile transmission cannot be determined solely from this telephone number, as is typically the case where multiple recipients share one fax line.
Additionally, though individual persons or groups in an enterprise may have unique fax numbers, a sender will typically only know the “main” fax number. Thus, a majority of faxes are transmitted to one central site, regardless of whether the intended recipient has a specific DID number assigned to him or her. From there, a human operator must typically sort through the printed faxes, and pass the paper copy on to the intended recipient via interoffice mail.
Additionally, many times a facsimile transmission is desired by more than one department or by a specific department in an organization due to the nature of the fax content. Such departments that desire the text or a copy of the facsimile transmission may not be specifically mentioned within the contents of the transmission.
Therefore, there is a current need for the ability to route faxes to a destination based on some aspect of the content of the fax itself.